[Before Paradise] We’ve Moved!

disruption at home and the interruption in internet service it’s been crazy! With the frantic pace of all the final packing, and the sale (closing) of our home being repeatedly delayed during the last 18 days, it has been like time has been standing still during Typhoon Condition One. I swear I could stare at a clock for twenty minutes and the minute hand would never move.

Totally unaware of her upcoming adventure!

But just last Tuesday our movers arrived, packed and crated all our household goods and personal property…all 8,840 lbs of it. (Teri must have slipped in some extra personal property when nobody was looking!) Yesterday (Monday), we finally closed on the house after several delays and postponements. Personally, it feels like King Kong has been lifted from my shoulders and now I feel much better. Teri and I literally woke up this morning with stiff necks, probably a result of all our recent stress being removed with the closing. We moved into a temporary rental house and will be making preparations to head to the Philippine Embassy in Chicago to get our paperwork in order because me and the cats all need permission to enter the Philippines. First thing though are physicals for all as the cats and I need to be determined Rabies free! I really don’t think the cats will have a problem….me?….well last week would have been a real problem. This week, not so much. 🙂

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17 thoughts on “[Before Paradise] We’ve Moved!”

Keeping up to date with your progress to get over to the Philippines. It sure is a lot of hetic stuff to get thru to make a move like this happen. Anyway praying for you and your wife and the cats to be on the way soon. The internet in Calbayog for us has been half the speed we pay for since the election…. Globe came out to our house and said they would be back, but they didn’t come back yet?…sometimes I just wish they would get it together and be fair to us customers… Globe does not allow any phone calls to report problems with the internet in Calbayog… so dumb. So… my honeypie and I have to visit the office that is always full of people getting service or no service. Maria and her sister Mary took their other sister Rose and little 1 year old Drew to Manila. Rose is returning after a month in Calbayog back to New York… Her one year old son grew like corn and gained a lot of weight… he loved seeing his lola and lolo and family and cousins in Calbayog. Maria and Mary went back to Calbayog on the ferry overnight yesterday. The election is over, and the winner for Mayor was the current Mayor Ron Aquino…he is good man and his wife very special to us.. Maam Lina always comes to our salon for her hair treatment and so does her daughter. Since Ron became Mayor I see a lot of progress that is impressive to me…although the locals their blame him for the changes like moving the market… he’s not the only one who is bringing the better into Calbayog, More jobs, and a cleaner and safer city is what we are hoping for there. In the past 4 years…I have seen a big change…. we do know that in the past there was a lot of blockage from anything to improve in Calbayog. Now its becoming a more opportunity for the college graduates and others to get jobs there…and they can stay in Calbayog with their families and not have to work out of the country….anyway … hope to see you in Calbayog this Jul or Aug when I get back there….take care and God Bless… calbayogtom

Hey Tom! Moving to another country should never be underestimated as a simple undertaking. Especially when you have a house to sell and years worth of household goods and personal effects. Once you begin the process, there will be so many loose ends that just appear out of nowhere and becomes almost mind numbing. If it weren’t for the internet, one could easily multiply the difficulty in information gathering by tenfold. Mostly though the anxiety will get the best of you. I’m sure looking forward to the biggest of my worries being falling coconuts. Then again, if I wear a hardhat, I should have no worries at all!

I was just curious when you said that you could not call Globe for repairs. Doesn’t the (02) 730-1000 number for customer service/maintenance still work anymore for you? I just called it and it is still working for me.
I also am happy that Mr. Aquino is Mayor again. He has been doing an excellent job, although some of the things he accomplished were sent in motion by Mayor Uy before he was killed. Mayor Aquino did see those things through, started a few more things and set some other things in motion.
It would be wonderful if all, or at least most of the students graduating from college here would be able to find decent jobs right here in the city. There are way too many college graduates driving tricycles and/or not working at all, unless they want to leave their families and become an OFW. So much brainpower is being wasted.

Randy,
Looks like the end is in sight for you. We will be on our way over there on July 30th. Just booked our flights out of Detroit. We also have to go to the Philippine Consulate in Chicago in July to get documents authenticated.. Will take a train out of Toledo, Ohio which takes about 4 hours. Take care and looking forward to hearing how your process is going.

John…. I will give Maria that (02) 730-1000 number for the Globe customer service… I don’t think she is aware of it. Anyway… they told us. that they failed to t upgrade our service that we were paying for all of these months…. they finally came out and gave us some new equipment… and they did get us upgraded to the higher speed…. According to Maria its working ok now… It sure took a long time. thanks for that info… calbayogtom

Hello Randy and Papa Chuck… your both headed for the Philippines about the 30th of July? I will be getting my extra 38 days for the 59 on my pleasure visa from Chicago via my travel agent here in Minnesota. I have a flight from Mpls to San Fran on Delta and then Korean Air to Seoul and onto Cebu….I will meet my honeypie in Cebu and stay there for a week before we take the ferry to Maginoo and my motorcycle to Calbayog. Maybe I’ll see ya around Calbayog if not stop over to our 184 San Roque St in San Policarpo… we live right behind the 7th day adventist church…. calbayogtom

Randy,
Our flight leaves at 7:52AM. We are flying All Nippon Airways operated by United Express from Detroit to Chicago. Then All Nippon the rest of the way with a stop in Narita, Japan arriving 8:55pm in Manila Terminal 3. Its great not going to Terminal 1. Maybe we will see you on the way back, that would be great. We will be staying at my parents the whole month of July. Really getting excited. Last thing we have to do is finish packing the boxes to ship and than relax till the flight. Take care

Congratulations! I wish you and your family (and the little ones – cats) an easy transition, Randy. Have a safe journey to the Philippines. My girlfriend and I visited Cebu City for the first time last September and I have to say the Visayas are stunning. I grew up in Manila until I immigrated State side but had never been south of Luzon. Cebu and Bohol are simply jewels of the Visayas. I’m sure Samar is equally if not more gorgeous. I have a good family friend from Pambujan. Good luck and God speed!

Thank you JonM for your kind comments. I agree about the beauty of the Visayas. After living on Luzon previously, I believe it is simply the seclusion and the thousands of coconut trees and greenery, waterfalls, beaches, etc. that make the Visayas so eye appealing. We are so looking forward to our re-settlement that the next 60 days or so will likely just crawl by at a snails pace. But that’s okay…I need to get used to that speed anyway! 😉

Hello PapaDuck…. that’s interesting your going to buy a house in IloIlo? My brother is married to an american born Philippino. They live in Seattle and her philippino parents live in Seattle also but…the parents have a house in Dingle, IloIlo…. they go back there for a few months every year…. I’d like to get over there sometime…. maybe this year my honeypie and I can plan a trip there.